How to Hire Delivery Drivers For Your Business and Retain Them

The total performance of your delivery business is heavily influenced by the quality of your delivery drivers. That may seem self-evident, but we have statistics that prove how critical your drivers are to the client experience(business).

Circuit claims to have found out what constitutes a great delivery experience based on a poll. Customers were asked what is most important to them while getting a package in the poll. Over 40% indicated the most essential factor to them was receiving their package on time. (A close second, with 38 per cent of the vote, was that their package was left in a secure location.)

So, how do you go about finding, interviewing, hiring, and training skilled delivery drivers? To learn more, read this article!

1. Research first 

Examine your competitors, just as you would when conducting market research. Consider who you’d like to hire as a driver, and then think about what other jobs they could be interested in.

• What additional restaurants are you aware of that are looking for delivery drivers?
• Are there any third-party delivery businesses that are the strongest in your location? 
• What other non-driving jobs pay similarly?

Try looking at what your competitors have to offer their drivers now. Which company would you apply to if you were looking for a delivery position? Pay attention to the benefits that large retailers provide to their delivery drivers(business)

2. Compensation and other perks

You must first determine the remuneration and perks before advertising the post. You can start from scratch if you don’t have any delivery drivers. Consider that if you already have drivers on staff, any changes to your compensation will almost certainly need to be extended to them as well.

Consider the following suggestions:

• How much do your competitors charge?
• Will the driver provide their own transportation? If so, will you or the driver be responsible for business delivery insurance?
• Is it legal in your jurisdiction to pay a tipped wage? Identify what it is, and what are the regulations around it?
• Are tips exchanged among coworkers? What method will be used to calculate this?

Identify non-monetary incentives you can provide to your employees: 

• Could you afford to give each driver a complimentary medium pizza at the end of each shift?
• Employee incentives like movie tickets, ski passes, and gym memberships could all be used to recruit and retain personnel.
• Some pizza owners have made arrangements with local nightclubs so that their employees do not have to pay cover charges.
• What are some options for reducing the cost of gasoline when prices rise?

3. Create an appealing advertisement and application procedure

Make it simple to use. While sorting through a large number of applications isn’t particularly enjoyable, the more people who apply, the better your chances of finding the right fit for your team(business).

You should check with the candidate if you anticipate their car to be clean before starting a shift. If you want them to work till a specific hour each night, make sure they are capable of doing so.

4. Hiring and interviewing delivery drivers

The majority of your time with trainees should be spent teaching them how to act and think like professional messengers. Professional drivers are not like the rest of us. They don’t simply hop in the car and drive until they reach their destination. It’s far more complicated than that.

But what characteristics qualify for delivery truck driver jobs or professional delivery drivers?

• Pay close attention to the details.
• Communication abilities that are exceptional
• Works reliably and swiftly.
• Maintains a cheerful, customer-focused attitude

As a result, when writing your interview questions, you’ll want to ask questions that will assist you to figure out if your prospect possesses these characteristics.

You want your queries to be open-ended in general. This means that they cannot be replied simply with a yes or no. This encourages your prospect to speak up more during the interview, allowing you to understand more about them as a person and an employee.

For instance, you may ask:

Can you tell me about a moment when you were in charge of a work that required meticulous attention to detail?

You could also inquire:

Can you give me an example of a time when you had to explain a complicated problem to a customer and how you helped them solve it?

5. Your New Delivery Drivers Should Be Onboarded and Trained

Hiring the appropriate person is a wonderful start, but onboarding and ongoing training are as important. If they aren’t properly taught to your standards and processes, even the most experienced applicant may struggle to deliver the outcomes you desire.

The following is a list of delivery driver training options:

• Customer service education
• Software instruction
• Professionalism and process training
• Training on health and safety

The “process and professionalism training” — getting new hires to think and act like professional couriers — is where you can spend the most time.

Retention

Sustaining great drivers is just as critical, if not more so, than employing them. The more time a driver spends with your firm, the more familiar they become with your brand and processes. Customer service may suffer while a new driver is being trained, which wastes time and money.

1. Treat your team with respect

Remember that your employees are persons, not merely work hours, and treat them with respect. Many employees desire to work for companies that respect their contributions. One of the most common reasons for employees to leave a company is a sense of undervaluation.

2. Maintain the safety of your drivers

Follow basic standards for driver safety, and pay attention if drivers say they feel dangerous in certain neighbourhoods or when delivering to specific customers. Encourage safe driving behaviours rather than speeding (like texting and driving). If they haven’t heard from them in a specific amount of time, several delivery restaurants demand drivers to check-in.

Maintaining the safety of your drivers is extremely critical during this pandemic. While your clients may not desire contactless delivery, you should think about it as a strategy to keep your employees healthy. Encourage your drivers to put on masks and to wash or sterilize their hands before and after each delivery.

3. Continue to train

There’s always an opportunity for development and new talents to be learned. Improve your drivers’ customer service by working with them. You can also have your drivers coach each other so that they can learn from one another and better your company.

Teach your drivers how to do things like answering phones, folding boxes, and preparing deliveries around the restaurant. When deliveries are slow, you can keep them on the job rather than sending them home(business).